USC Football: 10 Reasons Matt Barkley Is as Good as Matt Leinart
The list of USC Trojan excellence at the quarterback position in recent years is legendary.
Beginning with Carson Palmer, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2002, and continuing through 2008 with Mark Sanchez, the Trojans have had a string of quality signal-callers that would be the envy of any college football program.
In between Palmer and Sanchez, the Trojans also had a Heisman Trophy winner (Matt Leinart) and John David Booty, a good enough quarterback to start over Sanchez—who was drafted fifth overall by the New York Jets after the 2008 season.
They were all great quarterbacks in college, and all have enjoyed success to varying degrees in the NFL.
Then came Matt Barkley in 2009.
All Barkley has done since being thrust into the starting quarterback position as a true freshman (a first at USC) is improve every year, even though USC has had to operate under the specter of the NCAA sanctions that were imposed on the Trojans at the beginning of the 2010 season.
Now USC enters the 2011 season still operating under those sanctions.
Can Barkley continue his progress and bring the Trojans back to prominence?
Those who follow USC think so because he has all the tools to get the job done.
But is he as good as those gunslingers who went before him?
Yes, and here are the reasons why...
No. 1: Matt Barkley Has the Arm Strength
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Of the aforementioned Trojan quarterbacks, only Carson Palmer and possibly Mark Sanchez have the raw arm strength of Matt Barkley.
Matt Leinart? No way.
John David Booty? Are you kidding me?
Whether it is a long bomb to a streaking receiver on a fly pattern or a dart to a tight end on a slant, Barkley will get it there.
Though Barkley hurt his shoulder in his second game as a Trojan back in 2009, he has recovered, and along with that his arm strength has returned and even become more powerful as he has matured.
Matt Barkley has an NFL arm right now, and he is only going to get stronger.
No. 2: Barkley Has Poise
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As mentioned before, Matt Barkley is the first Trojan quarterback to start as a true freshman.
There is a reason for that beyond the obvious talent he has at the position.
It's because he has poise beyond his years.
Besides the fact that Barkley has led the Trojans on critical drives where poise was demanded beyond any other attribute, he also demands the same of his teammates.
If you want to understand just how poised Matt Barkley is, look no further than when the Trojans hired Lane Kiffin as their head coach in 2010.
Who was there to greet Kiffin and answer questions from the press?
A 19-year-old Barkley, that's who.
Poised indeed.
No. 3: Want a Field General? Barkley Is Your Man
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A good field general is a quarterback who directs his players to be in the right place at the right time, manages the clock and calls an appropriate audible when needed, among other things.
The Trojans have had very good field generals in the past, including Matt Leinart, who may have been the best of all previously mentioned.
Matt Barkley is just as good as any of them.
Always calm regardless of the situation and an excellent clock manager, Barkley is in complete control at all times on the field.
When the Trojans huddle up on offense, there is no doubt who the leader is.
Matt Barkley.
Don't believe me?
As a sophomore last year, Barkley was named a captain of the team.
That doesn't happen often at USC, and almost never for a quarterback.
No. 4: Barkley Has "Touch"
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We talked about Matt Barkley's arm strength, but he also has the ability to deftly lay the ball into a receiver's hands when needed.
Whether it is a screen pass or a well-lofted chuck on a "go" pattern, Barkley has the ability to get the ball to his receivers in the most catchable way.
Perhaps the best endorsement of Barkley's ability to finesse a pass as required comes from his receivers.
To a man, when asked about Barkley's passes, they remark about how "catchable" they are.
This is a trait shared by most, if not all, of Barkley's recent predecessors, but it is also a trait that young Matt is just as proficient in as any of those who went before him.
No. 5: He Is Confident
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Of course, to be a USC quarterback, you have to be confident. That's a given.
But Matt Barkley has confidence to spare.
Early as a true freshman in 2009, Barkley played and won a tough road game at Ohio State against Terrelle Pryor.
He had just turned 18 weeks before.
Oh, and he had a bad shoulder to boot.
Nonetheless, when asked if the game had been what he expected, Barkley replied something to the effect that the game was big in terms of the media coverage, and perhaps some of that was overwhelming, but that the game itself went like he thought it would.
Pretty confident for a kid who just got his voting card, eh?
No. 6: Barkley Has Massive Football Intelligence
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There is a reason that Barkley had USC's football fortunes turned over to him at such a tender age.
His knowledge of football and the nuances of the quarterback position is immense.
Pete Carroll recognized this when he made Barkley the starter as a true freshman, and much of this knowledge he secured through efforts made away from whatever team he was playing for.
A graduate of the Steve Clarkson quarterback school, where Clarkson called him one of the most cerebral quarterbacks he has ever trained, Barkley has taken the time and made the effort to know as much as he can about the game he loves.
In this area, Barkley may excel above all the recent Trojan quarterbacks.
No. 7: He Is as Athletic as Any Recent Trojan QB (Except for Possibly Sanchez)
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While no one is claiming that Matt Barkley is another Cam Newton, he isn't a slug either.
At least as fast as Palmer when he was in school and definitely speedier than Booty and Leinart, Barkley is fast enough to have misdirection running plays called for him.
They work too.
But he is also strong enough to break out of arm tackles and faint-hearted sacks as well.
All in all, Barkley is athletic enough to keep plays going even when they break, and this ability to keep plays alive has resulted in many a Trojan drive continuing when it shouldn't have.
So Barkley isn't as mobile as Sanchez.
He's fast enough.
No. 8: Barkley Is a Leader
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As has been described in previous slides, Barkley's leadership abilities have resulted in some unique responsibilities not previously assigned to one so young.
Starting at quarterback as a true freshman, named team captain as a sophomore—these are tangible evidence of Barkley's leadership qualities.
But leadership goes deeper than that.
You must have the trust of your teammates.
This comes from cultivating relationships with the guys you go to war with every Saturday.
Barkley has done that in spades.
Every offseason, Matt Barkley has arranged for informal workouts with his receivers (and other offensive personnel) in an effort to hone the skills needed in the fall.
It is this kind of effort that has Barkley's teammates offering their full support during the season.
Leadership abilities are earned, not given, and Barkley has earned the respect of his teammates by doing all of the things great leaders do.
No. 9: Matt Barkley Is Unflappable
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Some guys just have the ability to remain cool no matter how stressful the situation.
Whether USC is facing a 4th-and-4 down five with a minute remaining or just needs a late first down to keep a drive going, Barkley exudes the confidence and calm to get the job done.
It is this calm that translates so well to his teammates in the huddle.
By keeping the emotion out of the huddle and replacing it with the firm focus that can only come from quietly knowing your job and having a leader calmly direct your efforts, you can complete the task before you.
Barkley has the demeanor and unflappable nature to get the job done no matter what the circumstances are.
No. 10: Barkley Is Still Young
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Perhaps as important as anything when comparing Matt Barkley to those recent Trojan quarterbacks who went before him is to remember that Barkley is still a relative baby.
Booty, Palmer and Leinart were all seniors when they left USC, and Sanchez was a junior.
Barkley will be a junior in 2011.
With two full seasons as a starter already under his belt, big things are expected from him entering this season.
Should Barkley perform as expected, a new comparative analysis will be required.
Should that happen, expect him to be more favorably compared to those who went before him than even this slideshow offers.
Conclusion
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Being a Trojan quarterback is a lot to live up to in any era.
But being a Trojan quarterback in this era is especially difficult in terms of meeting expectations from the Trojan faithful.
After all, two of the last four signal-callers to wear the cardinal and gold were Heisman Trophy winners, and all of them are playing in the NFL.
But Matt Barkley has the tools to be mentioned with this group, and dare it be said?
He may even be better than most of these guys.
Only time will tell where Barkley winds up in this group as we look back and compare him to the four that went before him.
Don't forget, he will only be a junior this year.
What happens if he comes back for his senior year?
Well, that will be deserving of another slideshow in two years, of course.
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